E-Cigarette Use Increasing in Scotland

The survey states the number of Scots using e-cigarettes has "increased significantly" with "vaping" levels being highest among younger adults. 22% to 26% of those aged 16 to 34 have tried e-cigarettes at some point, compared to four per cent to 10% for those aged 65 and above.

Research also showed the number of smokers has decreased, with just over 21% of adults lighting up in 2015, a reduction of 7% from 2003. In addition, there has been a reduction in the average number of cigarettes smoked per day, dropping from 15.3 in 2003 to 12.6 in 2015.

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the world, killing approximately six million people a year. In Scotland, smoking tobacco is linked to 10,000 deaths a year.

The Scottish Government has created the “Take It Outside” campaign to reduce the number of children exposed to harmful second-hand tobacco smoke in the home. That rate has dropped from 11% in 2014 to 6% in 2015, meeting the target five years early.

Anti-smoking group ASH Scotland welcomed the decrease. Chief executive Sheila Duffy said: "This is a significant drop and good news for the Scottish Government's target of halving children's exposure to second-hand smoke by 2020.

"Tens of thousands more children are now protected from breathing dangerous tobacco smoke in Scotland's homes.”

Public health minister Aileen Campbell said: "It's tremendous news that we've seen such a dramatic reduction in the number of children exposed to second-hand smoke in the home - meeting our target five years ahead of time.

"We launched our Take it Right Outside campaign because we know how harmful these chemicals can be for children's lungs.”

E-Cigarettes Can Help You Quit Smoking

Tobacco smoke contains dangerous chemicals including tar, cyanide, formaldehyde and arsenic which are not found in e-cigarettes.

Public Health England has stated that “best estimates show e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to your health than normal cigarettes, and when supported by a smoking cessation service, help most smokers to quit tobacco altogether.”